See, this is why I should have payed more attention in school... I thought rust was a chemical reaction with the metal-water-air, but I know it's got some kind of electrical part where the electrons needed for the reaction can come from any of the metal atoms in the area.
I'm not sure how much of that I have correct, but the statement I remember is that an exposed area of metal in one spot can result in a rust spot in an unexposed area because of that electrical "thing" above. So, those spots on the front of your hood could supposedly cause rust in the center of the hood right underneath good paint, or by the hinges, or basically wherever the metal is the weakest.
Your best bet is to get those spots cleaned up & covered with paint before they do damage there or somewhere else. If you're going to use a bug shield or something to cover them up later, at least you don't have to worry about making them look pretty.
Now that I've spouted all of this stuff, I guess I'd better get out there and clean up some of my Tracker's existing rust spots
